65% Uni. applicants fail placement test due to poor teaching environment for English Language – Study
View(s):A research conducted by Dr. S. Rajadurai, a Lecturer of the University of Colombo (UoC), reveals that the poor teaching environment for English Language in Sri Lanka, means 62%-65% University applicants fail to obtain the 35% Pass mark at the placement test.
The issue begins at the GCE O Level, with only 50% of the university applicants having a Pass English Dr Rajadurai’s research was published in the journal of the Institute of Human Resource Advancement (IHRA) of the UoC, which was recently launched by its Editor Dammika Perera, who presented the first copy to newly appointed UoC Vice Chancellor Prof Chandrika N. Wijeyaratne.
Dr Rajadurai continuing his research with the undergraduates, as they read for a Bachelors Degree in Arts in English, said it hampers their studies. Hence, most of them scrape through with a ‘basic English, to qualify for the award of a Degree. Pursuing a Special Degree in Social Sciences or Humanities, of which 95% is originally in English, is also a difficult task.
The study reads; “This condition has not only led them to be deprived of academic excellence, but also of career prospects.”
Dr. Rajadurai notes the poor approach taken to teach English to Arts students at the UoC; only 4 hours a week for 1st-year students and 3 hours per week for 2nd, 3rd and 4th-year students.
“It would be a herculean task for the universities to make a quantum leap to develop their language proficiency within a short space of time,” the study states.
Dr. Rajadurai thus picked the Passara Educational Zone in the Uva Province, one of the difficult areas in the Island for English, to conduct his study. Observations and findings reveal that the average percentage of students passing English at their O/Ls, in a span of 5 years (2011-2015) was only 24.69%. Some of the key reasons cited by Dr. Rajadurai, are the lack of basic English knowledge from the Primary grades, a shortage of English teachers, poor quality of teaching and learning practices and a general lack of motivation of the students.
Dr. Rajadurai opines that a viable mode of E-Learning, through a Language Management System (LMS), would be the best solution.
He also suggests the need for English teachers in this Zone to be better developed academically and professionally, and says, this could be a remedy to overcome the issues in this area, to an extent. A ‘Teaching English as a Second Language’ (TESL) Software, which focuses on two aspects; Language Proficiency of the English Teachers, and the use of Electronic Media to impart the Language on the Students, is a necessary tool, it suggests.
Given that teachers believe student motivation to learn English will increase, both in and out of the classroom, if technology is used, a Computer-Aided Language Learning (CALL) Software mechanism would also assist in surmounting this hurdle.
It should be well designed by the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with university experts in the subject, the Report states, .
“For efficient performance, the Director-in-Charge of English can evaluate the performance of teachers in their respective Zones,” the Report further reads.
Dr. Rajadurai’s study concludes that the authorities should be concerned about the stagnant Pass average for the O/L English Language subject, which has been sitting at 51% for years, and take necessary steps to appoint qualified teachers to the difficult area schools, as per a 1:21 teacher-student ratio.